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Time for lunch. What’ll it be? PB&J? Mac-n-cheese? Turkey and cheese sandwich? Boooorrring! If even your toddler is getting tired of the same old midday meal, you know it’s time to try some new kids lunch ideas. But when it comes to changing things up, you don’t want to rock the boat (or booster seat) too much. After all, toddlers love routine and cling to the familiar (as you’ve undoubtedly discovered). So here are some kids lunch ideas that stick with the familiar yet give four classic meals a new twist.

Old Favorite: Peanut Butter & Jelly

There are so many variations on this kid fave that your toddler could eat PB&J every day of the week and still not have the same sandwich twice.

(Note: While the American Academy of Pediatrics no longer suggests avoiding peanuts to prevent allergies, talk with your pediatrician before serving your child peanuts. Of course, if your toddler has already demonstrated a peanut allergy, you’ll want to steer clear. Also, ask your doctor before serving your child almond, cashew, or sunflower-seed butter, since kids who are allergic to peanuts are more likely to be allergic to tree nuts.)

New Kids Lunch Ideas:

Use sliced fruit (like bananas, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries) or a drizzle of honey (fine for children over 12 months) in place of jam or fruit preserves.

Spread the peanut butter (thinly, since thick, sticky peanut butter can be a choking hazard) and jam or sliced fruit on a small wheat tortilla, then roll it up and cut it into bite-sized pinwheels.

Swap the peanut butter for almond, cashew, or sunflower-seed butter. Or even try tahini instead, which is sesame-seed butter.

Put the PB&J on a bagel or whole-grain waffle instead of regular bread. Or ditch the bread altogether and spread nut butter (thinly) on whole-grain crackers.

Make PB&J cutouts with funky-shaped cookie cutters.

Old Favorite: Meat & Cheese Sandwiches

Keep it simple by slipping your tot’s favorite deli slices and cheese into pita pockets (these pockets are also great for tucking away other sandwich fillers like egg-, salmon- and chicken salad). Feel free to cut each one in half if the whole pita pocket is too unwieldy for your little guy.

Spread low-fat or veggie cream cheese on a whole-wheat tortilla, add some slices of turkey or ham and strips of red or yellow peppers, zucchini, or avocado. Roll them up and then slice ’em into pinwheels. (If your toddler has a sweet tooth — and what toddler doesn’t? — you can also hold the meat and make this roll-up with cream cheese and sliced fruit or jam.)

Leave out the bread and cut the deli meat and cheese into squares, circles, and triangles, set them out on a plate, and encourage your li’l chef to create his own stacks on whole-grain crackers. Or roll deli meats around cheese sticks or slices, and it’s a whole new kids lunch.

Old Favorite: Cheese Dip With Crackers

Move over, cheese dip, there are some new dips (and spreads) in town!

New Kids Lunch Ideas:

Try sliced apples, carrots, or celery with peanut and other nut/seed butters.

Old Favorite: Hot Dogs

There’s more to dressing up hot dogs than piling on the fixin’s. Check out how versatile hot dogs can be outside the bun. (To make them healthier, use turkey or veggie dogs. And to avoid a choking hazard, cut them into bite-sized pieces.)

New Kids Lunch Ideas:

Wrap all-beef franks — or turkey or veggie dogs — along with strips of veggies (peppers, zucchini, or squash) and cheese in crescent-roll dough. Bake them up for a lively, colorful (and healthy) take on “pigs in blankets.” Don’t forget to slice them into bite-sized pieces.

Slice any type of hot dog (beef, turkey, veggie) into baked beans. For purists, you can slice up the hot dog and keep the beans on the side.

Toss cooked hot-dog slices into hot or cold pastas. You can change this any number of ways by using various kinds of noodles and dressings or sauces.

Cut up hot dogs and dip them into melted cheese.

Old Favorite: Mac-n-Cheese or Spaghetti With Tomato Sauce

There’s more than one way to serve noodles with sauce! Make your pasta dishes even healthier by choosing whole-grain noodles or those enriched with omega-3 essential fatty acids.

Tempt your tot with the “surprise” fillings in ravioli or tortellini. It’s a great way to sneak in veggies or cheese.

Toss pasta in olive oil and grated Parmesan or Romano cheeses instead of tomato or white sauce. If your tot’s a veggie eater (lucky you!) throw in some broccoli florets, mushrooms, or chunks of zucchini or yellow squash. If your little one isn’t a veggie lover, you can hide these extra vegetables by pureeing them and stirring them into the pasta sauce.

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